Palestinians reject interim peace deal

Palestinian leaders have rejected suggestions by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, that an "interim peace agreement" might be reached after the failure of direct talks between the two sides.

Benjamin Netanyahu floated the idea of an interim dealPhoto: EPA

By Mark Weiss in Jerusalem and Richard Spencer

5:06PM GMT 28 Dec 2010

Mr Netanyahu publicly endorsed a fallback alternative to a comprehensive peace agreement for the first time in an interview on Monday night. Avigdor Lieberman, his far-Right foreign minister, says an interim agreement would avoid having to reach a deal on the most divisive core issues, such as sovereignty over Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees.

But Nabil Abu Rudeina, an aide to the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, made it clear that an interim agreement was not an option as far as the Palestinians were concerned.

"Jerusalem is a red line as it is to be the capital of a future Palestinian state," he said. "Going back to talk about a state without determining its borders is unacceptable, and it will not lead us to a true peace."

With the Middle East peace process currently at an impasse, Mr Netanyahu told Israel's Channel 10 television that he was ready to "go all the way" if the Palestinians were serious, but other options were possible.

"There could be a situation in which talks with the Palestinians hit a brick wall over the issues of Jerusalem and the right of return [for refugees], and in that case the result would be an interim agreement."

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Both he and Mr Lieberman are keen to ward off a growing movement to grant recognition to a Palestinian state before a deal has been reached. Some Latin American countries have already done so, and while Europe is unlikely to follow suit, Britain is among a number of countries raising the status of official Palestinian representation abroad.

A second line of attack by the Israeli authorities is a campaign against attempts to "delegitimise" the Jewish state in the West. Britain is being singled out as a base for a number of groups sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and the Israeli defence ministry on Tuesday designated the Palestinian Return Centre, a campaign group based in London, as a front organisation for the militant group Hamas.

"The centre is involved in initiating and organising radical and violent activity against Israel in Europe, while delegitimising Israel's status as a nation among the European community," a statement said.

"Among other terror-affiliated activities, the centre organises many conferences in various European countries for Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood activists from all around the world."

The group could not be contacted for comment, but has claimed it is independent and unaffiliated to any individual party or organisation.